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I'm giving out about 35 XP a sesh which feels high but we only meet 1-2 times a month and I want them to feel like their mans are getting more powerful.
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Mar 27, 2017 13:02
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Thoughts on the early days of the rebellion, pre-BBY periods of play etc. (crossposted from elsewhere for more discussion/ideas) Firstly, i'm specifically looking at the early days of the rebellion, prior to the Battle of Yavin and the start of the Galactic Civil War (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Galactic_Civil_War). Star Wars Rebels and Rogue 1 offer a lot of insight here, and I believe but haven't read it yet, that there's more in the Tarkin and Ahsoka novelisations (?). After the delegation of 2000 (http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Delegation_of_2000) and the Battle of Kashyyk, assorted planets were in a greater or lesser extent of opposition to the Emperor and the newly formed Imperial Senate. Mon Calamari, Ryloth, Alderaan etc. are prominently named planets involved in the early days of formenting rebellion. The early expansion of the Empire with the Reconquest of the Rim and assorted military campaigns led to the Empire's military, vast as it is, becoming more stretched and coincidentally creating more resentment and opposition. The early days of resistance (19 BBY through to say 5-6 BBY) is probably (?) made up of planets chafing under rule, or small individual groups standing up for alien rights, or less control over their planet, labour forces etc. Some degree of propaganda being done, low-key and small scale uprisings, anything getting too large or noticeable being crushed (as per Kashykk, Salient system etc.) Over time the number of these 'terrorists' increases, some of them remain primarily violent, just seeking to attack and cause damage, others are driven to act with more of a goal of liberty and freedom. And some start with the latter but overtime become more and more driven towards the former (Saw Gerrera's Partisans). As Mon Mothma and other notable figures who would come to make up the leadership of the Rebel Alliance began to become more organised, they'd seek out those 'troublemakers/terrorists' and deliver them such intelligence as they could to direct their efforts (intelligence messages from Fulcrim a la Ahsoka and Cassian for example). Around 5BBY is when it appears, per Rebels and other sources that the disparate groups of resistance began to become more organised or more cohesive at least, building up to 3BBY when the Rebellion has military ranks, commanders, areas of responsibility etc. Mon Mothma writes and delivers the Declaration of Rebellion bringing the 'terrorists' into a new light and challenging Imperial Propaganda. Some worlds rise up (and are crushed), some increase campaigns of opposition. The rebellion starts to gain a larger fleet. Somewhere around here Mon Cal cruisers are being fitted for warfare and the rebellion gains a bunch of Nebulon B frigates. Based on Rogue 1, however, at this point the Rebellion is still primarily disparate groups who have different ideologies and no cohesive will and direction. All that being about to change. Then culminating in the battle of Scarif in 0BBY and then the 4 year open civil war leading to Endor and the death of the Emperor. It seems, therefore, as if the period is pretty short, with the chance to explore very early resistance against the empire, or the conquest of planets and sectors, leading to the Empire seeming more established, the re-writing history of the Jedi etc. (Who in a generation have gone from a major power to being an ancient and kooky religion) and then the cell-structure rebellion of Rebels through to the destruction of the Death Star and open warfare. For me, running an Age of Rebellion game pre-Yavin has a more player-empowered feel than the more organised military actions likely to be taking place after BBY. Copying Rebels formula of starting small and building the stage as the players succeed (or fail). Albeit it does raise the question of 'just how does one bring planets into opposition, what do you do to weaken the Imperial grip on a sector etc.). Obviously historic resistances to oppression and rebellions are notable inspirations, so we have intelligence gathering, propaganda and recruitment, attacks on logistics and supplies (or stealing them) - all the things seen in Rebels, albeit Rebels is deliberately right in the thick of things, with film tie-ins and heavy involvement in the development of the rebellion (and there's nothing wrong with stealing that and just doing a parallel campaign where your players are the ones getting the Hammerheads, or being hunted by Tarkin and Vader directly etc.) I'd love to hear some other thoughts on the above and how other people see this period of Star Wars history, together with ideas for early Rebellion campaigns and adventures.
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Mar 27, 2017 13:54
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All that sounds pretty much correct, yep. In my view any sort of Rebel campaign should begin at session zero, where the group decides what kind of Rebels they want to be. Are they the Mon Mothma/mainstream Rebels who are committed to a democratic ideal (or, at least, a non-totalitarian one), are they just criminal opportunists who are hitching onto the Rebellion to make a quick buck, are they Separatists who just never stopped fighting the Clone Wars, are they ideological extremists or anarchists who would be rebelling against the galactic authority regardless of the form it takes? Are they minutemen, or are they terrorists?
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Mar 27, 2017 14:43
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Drone posted:Are they minutemen, or are they terrorists? Well, from a Certain Point of View...
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Mar 27, 2017 14:44
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Pac-Manioc Root posted:Well, from a Certain Point of View... *Learn About The Force musical cue*
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Mar 27, 2017 14:46
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kingcom posted:Yeah thats definitely a lot more fun to play with from a player standpoint. It means death troopers are going to be dumping penalty dice on people and more likely to drop a crit than just taking you out of the fight straight away. Plus its hard to stack penalty dice on them because they're elite troopers who dont need no man. Boosting perception is good though. According to the Star Wars Rogue One Visual Guide, the Deathtrooper armor isn't just designed to be visually stealthy, but actually fucks with attempts to find them on sensors. After I add in the other changes, how do I incorporate that? Add a Setback to attempts to find them with computers? HidaO-Win posted:The only mechanism for consistently making combat less brutal are the Parry and Deflect talents in Force and Destiny. That or play a high Brawn character. Cover does little, adding Black or Red dice helps but they are very unpredictable in effect and adding large amounts is difficult. They're actually aware of this issue, somewhat. There is an order 66 podcast with a developer who did a stress test of the game where everyone played a member of the Jedi council. The idea was to see how much XP it would create to make one and how they would be in play and the results were as you described. They were extremely powerful, but a good hit could take them out. For better or worse, they considered that accurate to the films, IIRC, and felt that, at the same time, it took so much XP that this issue would only crop up severly after literal years of playing which was, to them, an edge case that was acceptable. Not saying you can't fix it, but saying that, oddly, they think its fine like that. Edit: Thinking about it more, it isn't that uncommon of a thought in TRPG. A part of me can't blame them for going "it takes like 4-5 years for this really to become a problem so it isn't a game breaking bug", but, on the other hand, it is strange to notice the problem and not fix it in some way. Though, I guess its perspective and how you run it. The playtest sounded like they were set up against appropriate opposition for the NARRATIVE, not their LEVEL. So, it sounded like they were fighting horders of B2 battle droids and junk and not like mirror made battles who could go toe-to-toe with so I guess, in that context, going "even fighting hordes of lesser foes will still occasionally challenge god-tier characters due to crits" is a fair observation. Then again, I think they might have had gone against some mirrior made baddie at some point, but I can't remember what they said. Would really help if I remember the episode of the podcast. There are only so many interviews with devs for Order 66 and this was one specifically for Force and Destiny, if anyone wants to look for I as I don't really have time. Covok fucked around with this message at 16:12 on Mar 27, 2017 |
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Mar 27, 2017 15:36
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I don't have my rulebook to hand at the moment, but isn't there some option listed somewhere to integrate some sort of 40k RPG-style fate system, where you can basically get a finite "pop this fate point and you can avoid certain death" resource? I remember there being something written somewhere about being able to somehow use destiny points in such a way.
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Mar 27, 2017 15:53
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My biggest complaint about the FFG system is that it takes so much XP to be an effective Force user. Yes, I get that it's to keep them from overshadowing the other characters. That doesn't make it any less frustrating.
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Mar 27, 2017 16:10
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8one6 posted:My biggest complaint about the FFG system is that it takes so much XP to be an effective Force user. That's pretty much exactly why they instituted Knight-level play in F&D.
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Mar 27, 2017 19:22
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Alright, I think this is the last version I'm going to do for now. If you plan on using Deathtroopers in your game, this might be useful to you.
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Mar 28, 2017 03:24
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Would lightning storms be something plausible on a desert planet like Tattooine, perhaps in conjunction with a dust storm? I want to make the PC's exit from Mos Shuuta a bit more dramatic and put them on a time limit to see what they come up with. An approaching dust storm will make them want to get out in a hurry, risk flying through, or getting stuck on planet. Some lightning and thunder would just add to the ambience.
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Mar 30, 2017 03:21
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Dust storms can absolutely cause lightning.
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Mar 30, 2017 03:25
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Yeah, there's tons of static in big dust storms.
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Mar 30, 2017 03:39
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Cool. They may have to decide between flying through the static-y dust storm or take on the TIE Fighters that are launching.
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Mar 30, 2017 03:47
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Admiral Joeslop posted:Would lightning storms be something plausible on a desert planet like Tattooine, perhaps in conjunction with a dust storm? I want to make the PC's exit from Mos Shuuta a bit more dramatic and put them on a time limit to see what they come up with. An approaching dust storm will make them want to get out in a hurry, risk flying through, or getting stuck on planet. Some lightning and thunder would just add to the ambience. Things that have lightning that you wouldn't expect: Dust storms!  Snow storms!  Volcanic Eruptions!!! 
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Mar 30, 2017 04:26
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Old Evil Dudes!
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Mar 30, 2017 05:28
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kingcom posted:Old Evil Dudes! Checks out. 
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Mar 30, 2017 08:27
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If you don't play the "Storm" soundtrack from Mad Max Fury Road when you'll do it, you are a monster.
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Mar 30, 2017 10:22
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Iceclaw posted:If you don't play the "Storm" soundtrack from Mad Max Fury Road when you'll do it, you are a monster. I suggest an alternative strategy, Artoo: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqLArgCbh70
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Mar 30, 2017 11:17
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I've had a player ask a question I have not yet found an answer to. What does a "force talent" (the ones with a starburst on them) mean? What difference is there mechanically with them?
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Mar 31, 2017 19:21
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Darius099 posted:I've had a player ask a question I have not yet found an answer to. It's a force power. It's the same as any other declared talent, it's just that you need to roll force dice for them and your success will gauge heavily on your force rating.
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Mar 31, 2017 19:24
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Darius099 posted:I've had a player ask a question I have not yet found an answer to. Two things: 1) Narratively, when using the effects of a Force talent, you are calling on the force and Inquisitors and others hunting force users will notice. 2) You must have the ability to use the Force (you may even need a Force Rating, but I'm not sure) to call on the effect. So, Droids can never take Force talents. Droids could, theoretically take a Jedi specialization and buy every talent in a tree, but the Force talents would be wasted on them and they would not be able to use them.
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Mar 31, 2017 19:26
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Edit: better answers above me.
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Mar 31, 2017 19:26
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Sweet, thanks guys. Funnily enough I found the stuff in the force chapter that I had somehow overlooked about the same time I saw the super helpful posts!
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Mar 31, 2017 19:44
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  I shat out some alternate Everyone Is John rules in five minutes. Sure you could just use a six sided but where's the fun in that when you have EotE dice? quote:Everyone Is A Jawa Admiral Joeslop fucked around with this message at 15:01 on Apr 1, 2017 |
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Apr 1, 2017 14:53
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What is everyone's feeling on Dark Siders?
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Apr 3, 2017 18:11
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Covok posted:What is everyone's feeling on Dark Siders? I liked the first one but couldn't really get into the second. Has there been any news on the guys that bought the license reviving the series?
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Apr 3, 2017 18:53
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Machai posted:I liked the first one but couldn't really get into the second. Has there been any news on the guys that bought the license reviving the series? Meant more "force users who use the dark side." Playing one in a game.
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Apr 3, 2017 18:55
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Covok posted:Meant more "force users who use the dark side." Playing one in a game. I feel about playing Evil Bad Guys in The Star Wars about like I do in any form of pulpy/fantasy style roleplaying: Maybe entertaining for a oneshot/miniseries, but I'd prefer my default campaign mode be Good Guys motivated by something resembling benevolent ends.
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Apr 3, 2017 18:57
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Pac-Manioc Root posted:I feel about playing Evil Bad Guys in The Star Wars about like I do in any form of pulpy/fantasy style roleplaying: Maybe entertaining for a oneshot/miniseries, but I'd prefer my default campaign mode be Good Guys motivated by something resembling benevolent ends. The character isn't a bad guy. He's a former Hutt pitt slave forced to battle in gladiatorial arenas until he could earn his freedom. He was so since he was four years old and learned to connect to the force through fear and angier. Being a zabrak doesn't help. He even tried to help people when he was a slave, but that just meant he had to fight them at risk of death in an effort to break him. He has a tough love standpoint: he doesn't want to hurt people, he wants to help people, but he's convinced that you can't just help people, you have to teach them to help themselves. Tough love, so to speak.
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Apr 3, 2017 19:00
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Mechanically, Light Side/Dark Side are weird. It should be that the Dark side is harder to tap into, but provides more power (force points) than light side. However, it's opposite: 7/12 of Force die have dark side pips but theres only 1 double, while only 5 faces have light side pips but there are two doubles. This feels opposite to how the distribution should be, especially for a game where most people play light siders. It's hard to get above force rating 2 in a campaign, and having a 58% to 33% chance of failing any force power check kinda sucks as a Light sider (especially when it's 42%/18% for Dark Siders)
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Apr 3, 2017 19:41
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I always wanted a mechanic where you could, as a light side user, utilize a dark side point but at a cost.
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Apr 3, 2017 19:55
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Elendil004 posted:I always wanted a mechanic where you could, as a light side user, utilize a dark side point but at a cost. maybe something like flipping a destiny point and accruing conflict??
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Apr 3, 2017 19:58
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nothing to seehere posted:Mechanically, Light Side/Dark Side are weird. It should be that the Dark side is harder to tap into, but provides more power (force points) than light side. However, it's opposite: 7/12 of Force die have dark side pips but theres only 1 double, while only 5 faces have light side pips but there are two doubles. This feels opposite to how the distribution should be, especially for a game where most people play light siders. It's hard to get above force rating 2 in a campaign, and having a 58% to 33% chance of failing any force power check kinda sucks as a Light sider (especially when it's 42%/18% for Dark Siders) I always took it being based on the line that the dark side is the "quick and easy path to power."
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Apr 3, 2017 20:02
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nothing to seehere posted:Mechanically, Light Side/Dark Side are weird. It should be that the Dark side is harder to tap into, but provides more power (force points) than light side. However, it's opposite: 7/12 of Force die have dark side pips but theres only 1 double, while only 5 faces have light side pips but there are two doubles. This feels opposite to how the distribution should be, especially for a game where most people play light siders. It's hard to get above force rating 2 in a campaign, and having a 58% to 33% chance of failing any force power check kinda sucks as a Light sider (especially when it's 42%/18% for Dark Siders) Going per the OT, that'd be quite the opposite, actually. The Dark Side is quicker, seems easier, taster sweeter, but ultimately consumes you. So, the Dark Side being easier to use make sense, but should have repercussions.
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Apr 3, 2017 20:02
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Covok posted:Meant more "force users who use the dark side." Playing one in a game. I'd probably just play one who is more liberal with using dark side pips to be honest. A straight up dark side force user is actually a bit of a burden on the group because they auto-flip destiny points at the start of every session (assuming you use the Force and Destiny rules).
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Apr 4, 2017 00:46
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kingcom posted:I'd probably just play one who is more liberal with using dark side pips to be honest. A straight up dark side force user is actually a bit of a burden on the group because they auto-flip destiny points at the start of every session (assuming you use the Force and Destiny rules). A good GM will give it back quickly.  Also, canon or Legends?
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Apr 4, 2017 01:36
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90% of handling a Dark Side user is making sure the player's intentions are clear. Often times being a Dark Side user is telegraphing a redemption arc and knowing that allows the GM to handle that player's interaction with the Force in a specific way. Mechanically the Dark Side works well enough to be felt without being so intrusive that it effectively hijacks the plot. Most of its effects are often narrative. The only problem I can see is a player determined to wearing increasing amounts of black eye shadow and unwilling to deal with the in-character party fallout of being a psychopath constantly bringing bad vibes.
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Apr 5, 2017 12:59
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Question and advice-- I'm building a Force and Destiny character this weekend, for my first FFG SW RPG game. I've picked up that buying characteristics is good way to go with all my starting XP because it's really the only chance I'll get, so that's what I'll do, worrying about skills later. The concept is a Twi'lek freedom fighter, sort of generic rebel "liberator of the people" thing. I was leaning toward Peacekeeper to start, but don't know where to go after, and which 3-4 characteristics I should invest in at character creation. Any advice on specs and builds would be appreciated, as I don't see a lot of character optimization material for FFG SW around the internet. Priorities are Lightsaber, Light guns, leadership of some sort, guerilla tactics? How does that play out best mechanically? Concerning the universal specs from EotE and AoR, Emergent and Exile: Am I correct in assuming that I can just dip into them for a +1 Force Rating and then ignore them the rest of the way? Is that a fair way to spend XP if I want to get to 3-4 Force? Or am I crapping on myself by upping the cost of future careers needlessly?
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Apr 5, 2017 17:02
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WerrWaaa posted:Concerning the universal specs from EotE and AoR, Emergent and Exile: Am I correct in assuming that I can just dip into them for a +1 Force Rating and then ignore them the rest of the way? Is that a fair way to spend XP if I want to get to 3-4 Force? Or am I crapping on myself by upping the cost of future careers needlessly? There is a proviso that says either (I don't have the books in front of me) you can't take the specializations if you already have an FR, or you don't get the FR for taking the specialization if you already have an FR. Pretty sure it's the former. Either way, there's no quick and easy path to upping FR without buying down a tree.
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Apr 5, 2017 17:18
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